Trump orders steps to restrict Canadian goods from U.S. federal civilian procurement

The U.S.–Canada trade dispute escalated further on September 16.

The White House confirmed that Trump signed a presidential memorandum titled ‘Restoring Reciprocity in Government Procurement,’ addressing Canadian access to the U.S. federal procurement market.

The memorandum directs the Office of Management and Budget and the United States Trade Representative, working with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council and other officials, to review Canadian-origin items.

The agencies must, where appropriate and consistent with law, identify Canadian-origin items that can be removed or made unavailable for federal civilian purchases and take all steps permitted by applicable law.

The White House described the action as a response to Buy Canadian policies and restrictions in Canadian federal and provincial procurement. The memorandum says Canadian companies have access to more than $280 billion annually in covered U.S. federal procurement; that is the administration’s characterization of market access.

The U.S. Trade Representative must continue monitoring Canada’s treatment of U.S.-origin goods and report circumstances that might warrant restoring a Canadian item’s procurement eligibility if Canadian policy changes.

The memorandum is not an immediate blanket ban on all Canadian products. It orders agencies to identify items and act under existing law rather than publishing a complete exclusion list already in force.

The specific products, implementation schedule and any exemptions will depend on further action by U.S. agencies.